Spiffy:

Iffy:

...which we haven¿t seen in action yet because it¿s still exceptionally early in production; will it be just another urban-based shooter, but more bloated?

Many gamers haven't heard of Scottish developer Real Time Worlds yet. This Dundee-based production outfit is helmed by former DMA (now Rockstar North) producer David Jones. The team is planning to make some impact over the next two years with their upcoming titles. First, they plan to take open-ended gameplay to next-gen with their title for Xbox 360, the futuristic Crackdown. Secondly, they plan to re-invent the MMO with their urban shooter, APB. While APB is still in its earliest stages of development (the team didn't even have anything prepared demo-wise and the concept art images in this article are brand-new), Project Manager Chris Stamp and Lead Designer Stephen Hewitt were kind enough to give an extensive breakdown of what players can expect to see when this massive online third-person shooter hits beta next year.

The best and simplest way to describe the nature of APB is that it's a PvP action game with a Cops & Robbers theme. With releases on both PC and Xbox 360 (although the two will not have server interaction a la Final Fantasy XI, unfortunately), the game looks to revolutionize multiplayer action games on two hardware fronts. Real Time Worlds seems dedicated to creating an MMO that will get fans of genres other than role-playing to hop online and form communities. In contrast to the expansive fantasy worlds that MMO players are used to seeing, this title will take place in a sprawling metropolis. To keep action tight, Real Time Worlds' team is breaking up the player base a bit more than what's seen in most titles. Servers will hold 100 players maximum and are considered districts of the city. Half can be cops, half can be robbers, or depending on skill level, higher ranked players can fight in smaller numbers against greater hordes of opposition.

The team also hopes that the extensive levels of customization will help the game stand out a bit more from the numerous urban-themed shooters that seem to get it all wrong. Essentially, Real Time Worlds wants APB to be more than simply an MMO re-rendition of the critically-panned 25 to Life. Players will be able to perform near-ridiculous levels of customizing. Besides custom faces and clothing, the game will allow a more freeform approach to personalizing the character. Clothes can be designed; the tweak factor seems awfully high. Want some spurs on your cop's boots? Done. Want some fat laces for those sneakers? You got it. The customization extends beyond gear, too. Players can also design their own graffiti to put up around the district. Also, they will be able to trade custom designs with others. Personalization does have its limits, however. Currently there are no current plans to allow gang members to dress in uniform, nor will plainclothes cops infiltrate criminal territories. At least, not for a while, according to Hewitt and Stamp.

Groups are divided into squads and gangs, made up of (what else but) cops and robbers, respectively. Each group can hold roughly 40 members, and the goal of PvP combat is to take over as much district turf as possible. Crooks get bigger jobs and better heists when they have more turf at their command. The po-pos get better gear for crime-stopping when they clean up more turf. The system to trigger a battle is fairly simple. Gangs find an area and commit crimes. An all-points bulletin (hence the name of the game) goes out to a squad, and they go straight into the action. The results can vary wildly from chases and shoot-outs to busts, arrests, and escapes. Since the game isn't an RPG, players can't level up, as there are no levels to speak of. However, APB will have its own way of rewarding skilled players. Top players will get unlockables. The more crimes that a squad stops, or the more "duties" that cops pull off -- busting a quota of criminals with a specific car, for example -- the likelier it is that those players will have access to better weapons and faster cars.